Air pressure water system for passenger cars



Oct. 27, 1931. A. B. LAWSON 1,829,450

AIR PRESSURE WATER SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER CARS Filed Jan. 17, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet l k LZ T I] t N 3nventor N w ,e W

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Oct. 27, 1931. A. B. LAWSON AIR PRESSURE WATER SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER CARSFiled Jan. 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 44a K? {m flal/wm Gttomeg PatentedOct. 27, 1931 ALDEN B. LAWSON, F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND AIR PRESSURE WATERSYSTEM FOR PASSENGER CAR-S .Application filed January 17, 1930. SerialNo. 421,551.

J The present air pressure water system now in use on passenger railroadcars conslsts of a water tank secured to the under side of one sideof acar, and equipped with a five Way valve, strainers, governors, etc., forcontrolling air'pressure that is taken away from the train line forsupplying water to the car from this tank. 7

To fill the water tank in the system in vogue 10 prior to my invention,it is necessary for trainmen to insert the water hose in the fillinghole or inlet X, and then push down on handle Y which opens the five wayvalve Z permitting the water to flow through the '15 pipe V and thestrainer U into the tankl/V, and simultaneously with this action thefive way valve automatically shuts off the air pressure from the watertank. This system permits the tank to be filled only from one side of'20 the car. Therefore, if the car is in a train with its water tank onopposite side of car from the station hydrant, it introduces a hazardfrom a safety standpoint, in that it necessitates; the terminal crewunderneath the car, dragging the water hose over the rails, ballast,etc., to permit the filling of water tank. This is not only dangerousand unsanitary account of dragging the filling hose nozzle over rail andballast, but also consumes considerable time, as the majority of stopsat stations are limited to approximately 5 to 10 minutes, which makes italmost impossible for all tanks in an eight to ten car train to befilled before leaving time.

The object of my invention is to provide means in air pressure watersystems for cars whereby the five way valve may be operated from eitherside of the car, and likewise to provide means whereby the water tankmay 40 be filled from either side of the car; and with these and otherob ects in view my invention consists of the parts and combination ofparts as will be hereinafter pointed out.

- In the drawings: 5 Figure 1 is a top plan view of part of an airpressure water system embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure l with an outline of carstructure added.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view on the line 33, Figure l.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail end view of Figure l.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the connection between therod and the 5 operating handle. a

The water tank, five way valve, filling or inlet, and supply pipe havebeen designated by reference letters as such parts thus described are incommon use in water systems for cars.

In adapting the present water system for cars to embody my invention, Iattach a water supply pipe 1 at one end to the water strainer U andextend said pipe to that side of the car opposite to the side on whichthe tank is mounted, the outer end of this pipe 1 being secured in thecasting 2 constituting the filling or inlet on that side of the car.Thus it will be seen that the five way valve Z is connected with watersupply pipes leading from both sides of the car, thus obviating thenecessity of a member of the crew crawling under the car and draggingthe hose with him, which fact by itself is of considerable moment bothto the railroad company and the station crews because it entirelyeliminates this hazard to life, saves time, and increases sanitation.

The five way valve Z is first operated to cut off air pressure to thewater tank, and this is accomplished in my invention by operating thelevers Y and l on either side of the car, said levers being mounted witha slip fit and clutch connection to the horizontally disposed shaft 5.This slip fit and clutch connection between the shaft 5 and theoperating levers Y and 4 permits the shaft to be rotated from eitherside of the car, so that when operating the shaft from one side of thecar itdoes not 00 move the lever on the opposite side of'the car andhence liability of injury to persons by movement of the latter-namedlever is avoided. 1 It is, of course, understood that a system embodyingmy invention does not change I the usual functioning of the five wayvalve and air attachments now used,

Theslip fit and clutch connection referred to adapts eachoperating'lever to be shifted from an operative position, in which it isclutched to the shaft, to an inoperative position in which it is freefrom connection with the shaft and may be' engaged with" afastener orretainer Y on the adjacent side of the car,

whereby it may be held from movement in its inoperative position'Thefsl'i'p 'j'oint'. conneo-' tion between eoperatingi'leve si ds andthe shaft 5 is made by forming a rectangular clutch portion 7 f-ontherishaftf5l-nearl each end, which is designed to be interlocked inairectangularclutchfsocket or opening 8 in the operating handle, eachhandle also being provided with a cylindrical opening 9 to receive *thatpart of the" shaft "similarly formed,- so that the handle maybejlc'lutched i to and unclutched from the'shaftby shiftin g itlongitudinallyofthe latter, and so that when the handle is freefromconnection with theshaft itmay be swung up to engage its fastener orretainer Y; vTo operate the shaft 5 7 either of the operating levers Yor' l'is release'dfrom its fastener or retainer and swungfromits-inoperative position into its operative position and'then pulledoutwardly on the shaft/until theriect'angular opening 8 of the handleinterlocks V withithe rectangular "part'of the shaft, whereupon arotarymotion of the operating lever rotates theshaft, which through the usualconnections operates the live way valve cutting off the air and openingthe tank for asupply, of water. .In addition to elimination of thehazard above mentioned the use of m invention reduces the-ti e requiredfor lling tanks to a'minimum. Q The shaft" 5 is connected with the fiveway valve by *link'connections 10, the ends of i which are pivota'llyconnected to the arms 11 rigidly securedtothe shaft5 and thevalve Z, asclearly shown inrFig ure' l. vA link'connection 12 extends" between thestem of the valve Z an'dthe'valve13 on the drain pipe ofstrainerUwhichfcloses drain when levers Y and 4 are pushed down whenfilling tank andopens drain-when levers are up to release isuialjuswater from pipes and 1 p at I claimisi; -v r 1 1. In combi'natiominanair pressure water system {for passenger-icarsfa water tank, an inletconnection to said tank,'a valve controlling the supply of waterthrough-said inlet lconnection to said tank, a water'con'duit extendingfrom eachiside of the can tofsaid gvalve 'devlce, a valve operatingelement, a a etamer at each: side of the -car,and a device .the; car,said shaft being operable for controlling the flow ofwater to the inletconnection from either pipe, a'retainer at each side of the car, anoperating device at each side ofthecar slidablyi'mounted on'the adjacentend of theshaft for movements between inoperative and operativepositions, each operating device'being engageablefwhen in 1n'- operativeposition with the retainer at its a side of the carx-for holding it insuch position, eachshaft end and coacting operating devicehaving clutch5 surfaces for connecting the same when the operating devioeyis releasedfrom its retainer and moved to its" operative position. V 1

'3. In combin'atiomin an air pressure water supply system for passengercars, a water tank having an inlet connection, a water pipe extending to'sa-id conne'ction supply 7 from each side of the ca-r,"a valvecontrolling thesupply of-waterfrom either pipe to the tank throughthe'inlet connection, a valve actuating rock shaft extending from sideto side ofthe car and j ournaled in fixed bea'r ings thereonfa retainerat each "side of the car, an operating device at each side'of. the carslidably mounted on the adjacent end of the shaft for adjustment tooperative and inoperative positions, each operating device beingengageable when "in inoperative position with'the retainer at its sideof'the car for holding it in such position, each shaft end and coactingoperating device having clutch surfaces engageable to "connect the samewhen the'operating device is released "from its retainerand moved to itsoperative position, and crank arm and link connections between the rockshaft. and the Valve,

4:. In combination, in an air pressurewater supply system for passengercars, a-water tank having an inlet connection, a water supply pipeextending to said connection from each side of the car, a valvecontrolling the-supply ofwater from either pipe to the tank through' theinlet connection, a valve actuating rock shaftextending from side toside of the car and journaled inf-fixed bearings thereon, a retainer ateach side "of the car, an operatingdevice 'ate'a'c'hside of the carslidably mounted on the adjacent end of the shaft. for adjustment tooperative "and foo its

inoperative positions, each operating device being engageable when ininoperative position with the retainer at its side of the car forholding it in such position, each shaft end and coacting operativedevice having clutch surfaces engageable to connect the same when theoperating device is released from its retainer and moved to itsoperative position, crank arm and link connections between the rockshaft and the valve, and means operative on each cut off motion of thevalve for draining excess water from the pipe through which Water hasbeen supplied.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALDEN B. LAWSON.

